A Caldwell mother says her 9-year-old daughter is traumatized after an incident involving the police. Monique Joseph says on Oct. 22 her daughter Bobbi was going around the neighborhood spraying trees with a solution to kill invasive spotted lanternflies, when former city council member Gordon Lawshe called the police. According to audio from the police call, he said, “There’s a little Black woman walking and spraying stuff on the sidewalks … I don’t know what the hell she’s doing. It scares me though.”
Jason Williams, an associate professor of justice studies at Montclair State University, said incidents like this happen way too often and can lead to years of trauma.
John Kelley, mayor of Caldwell, said the incident is drawing community support for Bobbi and her family. He commended police for handling the situation appropriately.
